A good article on places to stay outside of the large towns and cities: 11 Places to Stay in Switzerland for Epic Views of Alpine Peaks and Glittering Lakes.
An interesting mountain guest house is Berggasthaus Aescher.
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| Berggasthaus Aescher |
In Zurich, the St. Gotthard Hotel is a good 4-star hotel only a block from the Hauptbahnhof. It looks very old from the outside but rooms are modern.
Stoos Railway
The steepest railway in the world is the spectacular and innovative Stoos Railway that runs from Schwyz to the mountain village of Stoos. The passenger cabins rotate as the grade increases so that they are always level. At its steepest, the grade is 110% which is an angle of over 45°! It is about a one hour drive from Lucerne, or one and a half hours by train.
Fräkmüntegg toboggan run
Located in Hergiswil, Switzerland, the Fräkmüntegg is one of the longest artificial toboggan runs at 1.35km. It is about a 25 minute drive from Lucerne, or 57 minutes by train. Opne from mid-April to October 22, 10:00-17:30. Here is a video of the run.
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| Click to view video |
Gelmerbahn Funicular Railway
A hair-raising ride over what is really a slow-moving roller coaster, the Gelmerbahn rides through the Swiss wilderness with at one point a 106° plummet. You can either buy a one-way ticket — opting to hike one from the end of the run back down to Handegg — or roundtrip, riding in the cable car back. Cost id CHF18 for one-way and CHF36 for the round trip. It is located near the town of Handeggfallbrücke, about a 53 minute drive from Interlaken. Open from May 26th to October 21st.
A popular steam railway runs from Brienz to the summit of Brienz Rothorn. Brienz is located on the opposite end of Lake Brienz from Interlaken, a 20 minute drive away.
UK travel site Wanderlust has a good overview of sites in the area.
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| Brienz Rothorn railway |
The railway terminus at the summit is close to the Berghaus Alpine Lodge located at 2,266m (7,434ft). You can just eat at the restaurant or stay overnight and enjoy the spectacular view — of 693 surrounding Alpine peaks! (From CHF82/night)
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| Berghaus restaurant and lodge | |
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| Interlaken - Brienz Rothorn map |
A nice tour of Lake Brienz is available on the paddle steamer Lotschberg which boards from both Interlaken and Brienz.
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| Loetschberg |
High above Interlaken is the Harder Kulm Restauarant which provides spectacular views of both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.
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| Harder Kulm Restaurant |
In the middle of the Swiss Alps, the “Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke” (Furka Mountain Route steam train) offers an unforgettable experience on its 18-kilometer-long route between Oberwald and Realp. These around 100-years-old steam locomotives and wagons take passengers into an untouched, sometimes difficult-to-access landscape. The tracks wind through wild gorges, bold bridges and along steep mountain slopes up to a height of over 2000 meters above sea level.
The station at Overwald is about a four hour train ride or 1 hour and 45 minute drive from Interlaken.
Montreux is a great base for seeing the sights of the eastern section of Lake Geneva which is referred to as the "Swiss Riviera". Old world charm can be found in the belle époque Golf-Hotel René Capt and also in the pre-WWI lake steamers with period fixtures and wicker furniture. The steamers Italie, La Suisse and Vevey sail a route from Lausanne to Montreux and onward, stopping at interesting sites like the island castle, Château de Chillon. They also have a two hour tour out of Montreux. Enjoy a meal on board at Café Léman. (Lac Léman is the local name for Lake Geneva.) Schedules and details are found at the CGN* website.
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| steamboat Vevey |
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| Café Léman lunch |
An excellent article about Montreux and area by Tonya Hennessey appeared in the February 2022 edition of International Living magazine (subscription required to view).
* - CGN stands for Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman.
